If I am not admitted into my major at ODU, I will apply to another dental hygiene program or become a certified dental assistant to make my hygiene application more competitive. I plan on applying to Thomas Nelson Community College’s associate dental hygiene program, and then I could transfer directly into the dental hygiene program at ODU if I was accepted into Thomas Nelson. I would also apply to ECPI’s certified dental assisting program. You can start enrolling for ECPI’s 18-month certified dental assisting program in the fall and it starts in January. For Thomas Nelson’s associate dental hygiene program, the application process opens on January 15th, and ends on March 1st. Thomas Nelson requires two prerequisites that I have not taken, and I have done everything to apply to ECPI.
There are no additional requirements for ECPI’s certified dental assistant program. The only thing you need to show proof of is your high school diploma. The requirements for Thomas Nelson’s associate program in dental hygiene are two references, a GPA above 2.5, a resume, and to complete the hygiene application. For more information about the Thomas Nelson associate program in dental hygiene, you have to contact Health Professions Academic Advising at 757-825-2993. For more information about the certified dental assistant program at ECPI, you can call 844-334-4466.
I chose this as my parallel plan because I want to have other options, and I feel like applying to other dental hygiene programs and dental assisting schools is the best option for me. The additional classes I need to take for Thomas Nelson’s associate dental hygiene program are college success skills and principles of public speaking. There are no additional classes I need to take for ECPI’s certified dental assisting program. I could shadow a dental assistant to gain more professional experience and learn about what dental assistants do. I have already gained a plentiful amount of experience about dental hygienists, since I have been shadowing at River Run Dental.